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Added by Craig Steel
Assessing our relevance

As 2015 draws to a close, it’s a good time to assess our relevance.

Man sitting in office in front of his computer thinking

As 2015 draws to a close, it’s a good time to assess our relevance.

As we know, there are challenges on the horizon – none of which we are entirely immune from.

We are seeing mass migration from the Middle East and Africa, increasing unemployment throughout Europe, an ever widening gap between rich and poor on almost every continent and living costs at home that are advancing beyond the means of the masses.

While it is possible that we are not yet personally affected by these things, they are the kinds of issues that cause global unease and ultimately, nervousness in local economies.

Couple this with our national brand being hit again by further tourism related tragedies as well as ongoing agricultural and environmental degradation and mismanagement, keeping the books in check is likely to become harder for the Government not easier.

As irrelevant as the issues might seem to some, they are not to employers. Everyday company heads around the country are scanning data trying to get a read on where things are at and what they have to prepare for.

Not so long ago, reading the local paper was what they did. Today, the carnage we are seeing on the international stage is as concerning as what’s happening around the corner.

Make no mistake, our employers are mindful of what’s playing out and the need to be ever more vigilant.

Although the title of this week’s blog could suggest a discussion about our relevance as a nation, what we experience as a country is but a consequence of ‘us’ and our relevance as individuals.

For this reason, assessing ‘our’ relevance to the nation and indeed, to those who employ us should never be forgotten; hence the need to remain conscious of the quality of our contribution otherwise the cost of keeping us will become a point of focus.

That’s not to say that we should have to ‘prove ourselves’ or ‘justify our existence’, but rather to ensure we are adding the value the business requires from our role.

To assist you in this respect, here are a few questions you might like to answer before the year ends. If not, a check in before you return might not go amiss.

  • How would you rate the quality of your contribution to your employer this year?
  • If you were asked to point to a piece of work you did that sat outside your normal day to day responsibilities, could you do it and if so, would it be seen to matter?
  • How have you helped your organisation (employer) address critical issues?
  • What impact have you had on those you interact with and/or support?
  • What value have you added to your customers and stakeholders?
  • Do you believe your organisation has advanced as a result of you this year?
  • What more do you believe you could do next year?
  • If you assessed the extent of your commitment to your organisation in comparison to others, how does it stack up?
  • Do you believe in what your organisation is trying to do and if so why?
  • Given this, what do you believe you most need to work on or change to help your organisation make further headway?

At the end of the day, it’s not what we have that matters but rather it is the impact we have on the lives of others that governs our relevance.

As absurd as it seems, an increasing number of people are ‘opting’ out because they feel irrelevant and yet it isn’t the job of another to ‘make’ us relevant.

If you want to add greater value, do it – for if you are employed, you have your employer’s permission i.e. no employer wants their people to do less. Ultimately they would love them to do more. 

 

 

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